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“Help From Above”:

Dear guest,

In the story there are lots of phrases of different color (usually blue); if you click on them, they will bring you to related posts on certain topics.

For example, in chapter 2 “I Want To Spend My Life Mending Broken People” in 11th paragraph after the poem, there is a link (or reference) to my article “Mental Healing From Psychology and the Bible”. When you point a cursor on the title, the cursor turns into a hand. When you click of the title of the article, a different window will open with this article. There are dozens of links or references like that.

Cordially,
Tatyana

I would like to write about the greatest experience of my life: «How I came to God’s Church».

I was born in a family of atheists in the far north in Pevek. My parents worked there. I was 2 years old, when my mother divorced my father. And a stepfather appeared in my life. He worked at police and denied the existence of God categorically. Therefore, I grew in atheism also. And once, I went with an atheist group to a Baptists’ prayer house. Then we condemned believers at a komsomol meeting. A lot of time passed after that. I made all possible errors, without wisdom of God and carefulness of saints. But the Lord was watching me and waiting.

I heard a saying that a wise man learns from other people’s errors and a foolish man learns from his own ones. This was said about me. I probably would not have been able to evaluate that precious gift of God, which was accomplished on Calvary, if I haven’t have made my own way there.

God had not giving me children for a long time, although I was married. Doctors explained it as my barrenness. My mother disbelieved this diagnosis and appealed to God. She went to the Orthodox Church, put out a lot of candles by all the icons, prayed fervently and ordered prayers at the church for my health for 40 days. And soon after that I suddenly became pregnant… this was the very first unexpected experience of faith. When I was pregnant, I sometimes visited the Orthodox Church.

Time of delivery came. I was 30 years old already: first pregnancy, first delivery, and according to my medical plan they were to do the Caesarean section, i.e. to operate and get my child out of my abdomen. But I began to give birth at night, and I had weak contractions. They gave me an IV for stimulation of labor of childbirth and I was staying in such position for 7-8 hours. I scratched the wall with my nails and writhed from pain when a doctor came and examined me. I noticed a genuine alarm in his look and talk, and I got scared that my child could die. And then I implored: «God!!! If you exist indeed, allow me to give birth to a living child!!! Ask me whatever you want…» and suddenly an unexpected idea appeared in my head, obviously not mine, and not completely clear: «Will you be able to attend the church for 13 Saturdays in a row?» I understood that God began to speak to me! And without reflecting I promised: «Well, eventually, my God, this is such a small price for a human life!» The second question compelled me to be thoughtful: «Do you indeed promise me this and will you keep your word?» I thought, that it would maybe not so easy, as appears to be, because it will require to change my schedule a little, but «weighing on scales the gift and the price» I fully consciously gave a vow.

Soon after that I gave birth to a girl, which was twined around by an umbilical cord and did not breathe. But the Lord, through the actions of experienced midwifes brought that child back to life! In honor of it I named her EMMANUEL.

Time went by, I had tried to go to Orthodox Church on Saturdays, but couldn’t do it even for 3 Saturdays in succession. Then I began to persuade myself: «All «normal» Christians go to church on Sundays, and there will be no evil, if I will go there on Sundays also. And number «13» is not very successful; I will better attend 12 Sundays in succession. No, better I will go one extra time – I will go there for 14 Sundays in succession». But I was not able to attend the church 12, 13, or 14 Saturdays or Sundays in succession. In addition a priest said to me after the ceremony of confession that I did not have right to accept communion for a long time, because I was a great sinner. My zeal went out gradually, and I stopped going to church at all.

After a while my family began to fall apart. My husband had two mistresses and proudly revealed this to me and to all our friends. I began to rush and order 40-day prayers «about saving my family” in monasteries and at Orthodox temples. But nothing helped us. One priest told me, that a wise man builds his house on a rock, and a foolish one – on sand. And then I understood that I had done the wrong choice somewhere in the beginning! I could not distinguish good from evil… I did not know something that is very important! I began to search knowledge in different esoteric reference books and in textbooks on psychology… but what I needed is just to open the Bible!

But God did not leave me and He sent me friends, which advised me to go to the Protestants and ask them to pray about saving my family: “Their prayer helps very much”.

While searching for Baptists I met SDA people. On Sunday I came to the old prayer house in which once I went with atheists and saw, that there was no Baptists, they had moved to another building, and this building belonged to the SDA church already. I had no other way, so I waited till the next Saturday, to go to the SDA church. They prayed with me and then I prayed with a prayer group more.

On Sunday I went to Baptists also. And on Monday evening I felt, that God wanted to say something to me… it seemed like someone scrolled a movie with all my sins. I thought earlier, that I was a good person, the same, as others, but when Baptists asked me to repent on a stage before the whole congregations I was not able to do it, and I only burst into tears. No, I did not cry, I sobbed, because suddenly I realized, that I was a sinner. I lived in a wrong way, I was thinking in a wrong way, I taught my child in a wrong way… God gave me a thought that my husband will cheat on me with other women constantly: «Are you ready to save family with such husband?» «NO!!! I do not want my child see me crying at nights, when my husband does not come home». And I divorced him.

I forgot about the promise I made to God. A long period of time passed before I began to attend the Sabbath meetings. At first I was timid, I attended now and then. Later it became happening all more and more frequently…and after a year of attendance I was baptized.

Before my baptism in our community usually all members of the church counsel invite everybody for an interview and members of the church counsel ask questions. When they asked me a question: «Who brought you to our Church?» «GOD!!! - Escaped my lips, - I promised Him to attend church for 13 Saturdays in succession, without skipping, but I didn’t understand why exactly 13?” And the teacher of the «pastoral» class said: «But I know! A doctrine course designed for novices is meant for 13 lessons. Every Saturday at 3PM I give one lesson. It is an initial course about the TRUTH which is carried to the world by the Seventh Day Adventist Church».

I was not going to say anything about it, as I simply forgot about my promise and more, I did not expect to hear anything like that. The Lord did everything and reminded me about everything! Praise the Lord!

This was a very compelling experience in my life and I am glad to share it with you.
With Christian love,
Svitlana